Inner Tube Old Tires??

[Noel Woods]

The black wheels are a much better design for the bead lock. I would mount the new tires on the black wheels and use a high quality tire sealant like the Highlifter brand and don't scrimp on the sealant. I've literally hit a cypress knee head on and got a puncture the size of a quarter, I lost some air, but somehow the puncture didn't let all the air out. While I was getting the 12v inflator out, I noticed that the pink Highlifter slime had formed a latex like seal. I quickly pumped the tire up and continued playing. That tire lasted several months before finally giving out.

[Paulgo]

You should be able to judge how much of a bead lock it has by the shape of it from the outside. I'm betting the white rims won't be as deep or defined as the Argo rim. Not that they won't serve you well but with new tires might as go on your best rims.

Bearings are not anything special but they unfortunately can be hard to track down at times. I think they are a special run bearing so most bearing dealers don't have them. A Argo dealer or ebay is likely your best bet. I tend to like the RHP brand. NTN is likely what you'll get from the dealer. They are good too. I just got more hours of my machine with the RHP's before loosing the first bearing in it. Off memory they are RHP 1025-1 1/4G on the outside and 1025-1G on the inside. Last bunch of RHP brand I bought was off ebay. Seals are a common part # too and don't cost much from a Argo dealer. Get new cork gaskets from the dealer for outer bearing flanges too.

The nylon chain tensioners last a long time. I had 400+ hours on both of my old Conquests and had no concerns about their condition. They wear to a point then stop wearing when more of the chain is contacting them. I carried a spare with me for year and never needed it.

Thank you for the advice! I've got some play in at least one wheel, so will figure out how things stand once I have the old girl up on blocks. Will also further investigate the tensioners. I noticed one is wearing a bit off angle. Need to dive in and see why. Not sure if you saw them, but here are the closeups of my wheels I posted earlier--

[Paulgo]

The black wheels are a much better design for the bead lock. I would mount the new tires on the black wheels and use a high quality tire sealant like the Highlifter brand and don't scrimp on the sealant. I've literally hit a cypress knee head on and got a puncture the size of a quarter, I lost some air, but somehow the puncture didn't let all the air out. While I was getting the 12v inflator out, I noticed that the pink Highlifter slime had formed a latex like seal. I quickly pumped the tire up and continued playing. That tire lasted several months before finally giving out.

Looking into that tire sealant. Thanks!

[riverratt]

If you end up using tubes and are worried about slipping the stems you could use an old drag racer trick and install screws in the rims to hold the beads. I would think 4 screws on each side of the rim would do the trick. Just an idea.

[Paulgo]

Blocked up the 1995 Vanguard II yesterday and got the tires off. New Runamuks arrived just as I was finishing up. Only took 3 days from order to delivery and the price can't be beat! One image shows a new tire stacked on an old one. They look identical to me as to size and construction.

Did I do wrong putting the blocks out to the corners? Was looking through the online manuals and see them moved into the center area.

Axle bearing condition varies from no side-to-side movement on a couple to lots on the one with broken outer flange. Am now searching online to determine how much movement is acceptable. None? Need to dive in and see what all has to be replaced. **Found this kit for the axle with broken outer flange. Any better options out there? https://www.ebay.com/itm/ARGO-ATV-PA...-/330900575906

Or this one with aftermarket bearings. https://www.argoadventure.com/K-131S...-_p_13369.html

Open to any tips you all may have. Really wish there was more room (or the top of the body could be just popped off) to get at things! I'm not tiny. Looks like most of the work has to be done by bending over from outside... Anyway, got a lot to learn here, but have worked on different types of vehicles all my life. Just need to add a few more details to my mental tool box. Paul

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[AlaskaGrizzly]

Your blocking looks good. That's what I do.

Bearings should have no play. I've run bearings with some play for a while before replacing them but I kept a close eye on them so I did not end up with disaster like the one with the broken flange. Since you likely don't know anything about the age of these bearings you might want to replace all the bad ones. Inner bearings last a lot longer than the outer bearings. I've pulled the motor / tranny assembly out when I replaced front axle bearings however I have access to a good lift to do it with. It makes it much easier to get at them and gave me a chance to clean everything up good while I was at it.

I don't have an opinion on the aftermarket bearings. These bearings are not common so finding them at bearing dealers can be tricky so sticking with a Argo dealer is likely your best option. I looked and there were not RHP 1025 - 1 1/4" bearings on ebay at the moment and I don't know the NTN part #.

[Paulgo]

Your blocking looks good. That's what I do.

Bearings should have no play. I've run bearings with some play for a while before replacing them but I kept a close eye on them so I did not end up with disaster like the one with the broken flange. Since you likely don't know anything about the age of these bearings you might want to replace all the bad ones. Inner bearings last a lot longer than the outer bearings. I've pulled the motor / tranny assembly out when I replaced front axle bearings however I have access to a good lift to do it with. It makes it much easier to get at them and gave me a chance to clean everything up good while I was at it.

I don't have an opinion on the aftermarket bearings. These bearings are not common so finding them at bearing dealers can be tricky so sticking with a Argo dealer is likely your best option. I looked and there were not RHP 1025 - 1 1/4" bearings on ebay at the moment and I don't know the NTN part #.

So inner bearings may, or may not, be bad. I'll try to see if I can determine any play in them before ordering anything. Do the outer flange seals automatically need to be replaced if the outer bearing is bad? I guess that makes sense, as axle play would probably ruin the seals. Thanks again, Paul

[AlaskaGrizzly]

If you put a new bearing in it's best to install new seals too.